Support for protests grows in Delhi

The confrontation between the Indian central government and protesting students, along with opposition politicians, intensified further on Wednesday.

Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were disrupted for the third consecutive day.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, expressing support for every demand raised by the protesting students, said that 154 examination paper leaks had occurred over the past decade, yet not a single perpetrator had been convicted.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said the student community was demanding the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, describing it as a legitimate demand. He said the education minister was corrupt and incompetent.

He also backed the students' demand for an apology from the prime minister and called for those responsible for atrocities against students to be punished.

He said the Congress Party supported every one of the students' demands.

Students remained steadfast in their demand for the education minister's resignation, and the protest site at Jantar Mantar returned to its earlier atmosphere. Thousands of students gathered on Wednesday despite the rain.

At one point, Delhi Police disconnected the electricity supply to Jantar Mantar and prevented food and drinking water from reaching the protest site, causing hardship for the demonstrators. However, as time passed, ordinary citizens stepped forward in support. Thousands of people distributed food free of charge.

People from various professions across the country sent food and drinking water to Jantar Mantar through food delivery services such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Foodpanda.

Around the protest site, many people set up tea stalls, brought home-cooked meals, or distributed fruit free of charge. By Wednesday, so much food had arrived that protest leaders appealed on social media for people to stop sending additional supplies.

Delhi has rarely witnessed such spontaneous public support for any protest movement. Some observers have compared the movement with youth-led protests in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

In support of the movement, demonstrators also staged a protest in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Wednesday. According to Indian newspaper The Hindu, police detained more than 100 people during the demonstration outside Gujarat University.

Opposition parties remained firm in their demand for the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, preventing parliament from debating the examination paper leak issue despite the government's willingness to hold discussions.

As on Monday and Tuesday, proceedings in both Houses remained paralysed throughout Wednesday. Opposition parties had submitted adjournment motions, but the Speaker did not accept them.

In an effort to break the deadlock, two government ministers—Health Minister JP Nadda and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh—offered to hold a second round of talks with representatives of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).

The government announced that CJP representatives had been invited to meet at the health minister's residence at noon on Wednesday. However, student leaders declined the invitation, saying they would not attend talks at ministers' residences.

They insisted that if the government was serious about dialogue, ministers should come to Jantar Mantar. If security was a concern, they said discussions could take place at a neutral venue.

CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka told the media that talks would only be meaningful if the government was prepared to accept the students' demands; otherwise, the meeting would merely waste time.

They noted that one round of discussions had already taken place and that they had submitted a charter of demands, but it had produced no results.

Ashutosh Ranka told the media, "If the government accepts our demands, that will be good. Otherwise, lakhs of people are waiting to come to Delhi. This time we will not stop them. We will not ask them to remain silent."

He added, "We have told the government that what happened on 20 July was merely the 'trailer', not the full film."

Congress leaders staged a sit-in outside the prime minister's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the examination paper leak scandal, demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and condemn alleged police brutality against students.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the protest site and told Rahul Gandhi that the government was willing to hold discussions on the paper leak issue and could begin as early as Wednesday.

However, Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders remained firm in their demand for the education minister's removal.

On Wednesday morning, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and nearly all opposition leaders arrived at parliament wearing black as a mark of protest.

They demonstrated within the parliament complex and disrupted proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha while demanding the education minister's resignation.

Former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready for discussions, although the rules governing the debate and its duration would need to be agreed upon.

The opposition dismissed the assurance, prompting both the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha to adjourn proceedings.

According to government sources, the government remains prepared to hold discussions under any conditions but will not agree to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan under any circumstances, as it considers the demand politically motivated.

However, the students remain unwavering in their demand, and opposition parties continue to support that position.

Meanwhile, several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have alleged that foreign forces are behind the protests. Some have suggested that Pakistan, the Khalistan movement, and American billionaire George Soros are involved. They claim that a conspiracy is under way to destabilise Narendra Modi's stable government.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the demonstrations were a matter of serious concern, adding that some people were exploiting young people and students for political gain. He described the situation as worrying.

The opposition has rejected those allegations. The Congress leadership had already launched protests in several states in support of the students and has now intensified its campaign.

On Wednesday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar.

On Wednesday, authorities closed 16 Metro stations to prevent people from reaching Jantar Mantar. The closures disrupted daily commuters, and passengers staged protests inside several stations, chanting anti-government slogans. The authorities reopened the stations later that evening.

Against this backdrop, student leaders on Wednesday urged activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.

In a social media post, the CJP wrote, "You have inspired an entire generation. You have motivated us. We request you to end your hunger strike. We will continue our movement until our demands are met."

A delegation of opposition members of parliament also visited Wangchuk in hospital on Wednesday.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday instructed the police to preserve all evidence related to allegations of police brutality, including documents and CCTV footage, and ensure that nothing was destroyed.

Rebuking the police, the judges said, "Students have made allegations of police brutality, yet you claim this is merely part of a publicity campaign? How can that be? These atrocities have shaken the conscience of the entire nation."